Floating contour cushion



Jan. 14, 1958 N. K. MORRISON 2,819,712'

FLOATING CONTOUR CUSHION Filed May 8, 1956 INVENTOR. /V//VH M0 V50/V BYL-d-q..

Unite States 2,819,712 FLOATING CONTOUR CUSmON Nina K. Morrison,Fairborn, Ohio, assignor to the United States of America as representedby the Secretary of the Air Force The invention described herein may bemanufactured and used by or for the United States Government forgovernmental purposes without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a floating contour cushion and moreparticularly to improvements in cushions designed for preventing fatiguecaused by maintaining an unrelieved sitting posture for long continuedperiods of time.

A great deal of research has been done on this problem. It has beenfound that the major portion of torso weight of a seated person issupported by the ischial tuberosities and the area immediatelysurrounding them. The concentration of weight in this area, withaccompanying pressure on nerves, and blood vessels, impedes circulationand augments the fatigue factor.

The present invention is closely related to an application for U. S.Letters Patent Serial Number 432,065 for Dynamic, Inatable PneumaticCushion led May 24, 1952. Experimentation and experience have shown thatthe pilot will experience less fatigue during extended periods ofcontinued sitting, if his body weight is supported by a rigid seat inpreference to a cushion of consistently soft material such as foamrubber.

In the above noted application, a rigid scat is supplied, together withan inflatable cushion, for intermittently raising the pilots weight fromthe rigid seat.

The object of the present invention is the provision of a device forpreventing fatigue when an unrelieved sitting posture must be maintainedfor long extended periods of time, such as is experienced by airplanepilots.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a cushion whichhas, in addition to the advantages of the above noted application, arigid seating element which is not rigidly supported, but is oatinglysuspended.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a cushion which isadaptable to the variable pan and back angles of various kinds of seats,particularly the varying seating conditions available in aircraft, andone which also provides unchanged support, even when changes in bodyposition occur.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device whichcombines the advantages of a contoured rigid form supporting surface, acompletely soft cushion support and lastly the advantages of acyclically inflatable cushion which intermittently lifts the pilotsweight from the rigid surface.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a cushion devicewherein the region of the ischial tuberosities, the area normallysupporting the greater portion of the body weight of the seatedincumbent, is relieved at all times from such support.

Other advantages will appear as the description proceeds.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an inatable bladder;

'Zlil'l Patented Jan. 14, 1958 Fig. 2 is a perspective view of acontoured plate;

Figs. 3 and 4 are individual perspective views of top and bottom layers,respectively;

Fig. 5 is a sectional perspective view of the cushion assembled, showingthe arrangement and the relation of the respective elements;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the completed cushion, assembled andinserted within a jacket cover, and also showing the connection of thedevice to the intermittent pressure source.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, an inflatable bladder 10 isprovided with a pressure conduit 12, which leads to a source of pressuresupply not shown. The inatable bladder 10 is made of natural rubber orcomparable material which can withstand pressures up to 10 p. s. i. Itis provided with four openings extending completely therethrough. 'I'helarger openings 14 are so placed that they coincide with the position ofthe ischial tuberosities of the occupant seated on the cushion and areso fabricated that a. tapered cross section is produced around them.Smaller, oblique openings 16 are placed forwardly and are for thepurpose of accommodating parachute fastenings. A rigid seat element orplate 18 is shown per se in Fig. 2. This plate may be made from anyrigid material which proves suitable for the purpose such as wood, lightweight metal, fiber glass or a suitable plastic. The plate 18 may becontoured. It is provided with a pair of openings 20 which coincide inassembled position with the openings 14 of the bladder 10. A pair ofoblique forwardly placed openings 22 are provided which coincide withthe openings 16 of the bladder 10 and are for the same purpose, that is,for accommodating the leg strap fastenings of a parachute harness.

The upper and lower layers of the cushion are designated as 24 and 26,respectively. Figs. 3 and 4 show these pads separately. Each of thesepads is provided with oblique, forwardly placed openings 28 and 30,respectively. These openings coincide, when the cushion is in assembledcondition, with the openings 22 ofthe seat element 18, and openings 16of the bladder 10, so that in the completely assembled condition of thecushion a pair of unimpeded openings extend completely through thecushion for accommodating the leg straps of a parachute harness.

The upper layer or pad comprises a comparatively thin sheet of foamrubber or other soft cushioning or elastomeric material, which may ormay not be contoured. The lower pad 26 comprises a comparatively thicksection of the same material and may be contoured to experimentallydetermined proportions. The bladder may be bonded to the plate by anysuitable means, and the two laid between the layers of foam rubber. Thelayers of foam rubber are then bonded over the edges of the plate andbladder as shown at 19.

Fig. 5 shows the elements of the cushion assembled. The contoured pad 26lies at the bottom, with the plate 18, the bladder 10 and the upper pad24 superimposed on top of it in the order named.

The assembled portions of the cushion are then inserted within a cushioncover 32 which is provided with oblique rearwardly placed openings 34coinciding with the parachute strap openings of the other elements. Theconduit l2 is connected to a valve mechanism generally indicated at 36.This valve mechanism is shown and described in detail in the above notedcopending application. It is provided with a cyclic device generallyherein indicated at 38 for intermittently opening and closing the valve36. In the operation of the device, the bladder 10 is intermittentlyinflated and deilated by means of this cyclically operated valve device.The conduit 40 leads to a pressure supply not shown.

It will thus be seen that the weight of the pilots body

